Credible sources have informed The Fatu Network that former Secretary General, head of the civil service and Presidential Affairs Minister, Sulayman Samba is currently detained at The National Intelligence Agency headquarters in Banjul since Friday. Mr. Samba is said to have been picked up by operatives of NIA after a no show at The July 22 anniversary celebrations, marking dictator Yahya Jammeh’s 22 years in power.
Mr. Samba, a seasoned civil servant was appointed to the Office of The President two weeks before his retirement from the civil service. He replaced Lamin Nyabally who was removed on November 23, 2015 at that time Mr. Samba was deputy secretary general.
Sources say Samba fell out with dictator Jammeh after he advised him against the recent arrests and detention of senior civil servants. Jammeh was said to have reacted angrily adding that Sulayman is soft hearted therefore he cannot run the position of a secretary general. He was replaced on June 30, 2016 by the country’s former Ambassador to Qatar, Dodou Bamy Jagne.
It could be recalled that Abdoulie Saidykhan, a staff of GAMTEL went missing for over a week in 2014 after sources say he did not show up at The July 22nd anniversary celebrations. This is therefore the second time that Gambians are detained for not celebrating an illegal take over of government by dictator Yahya Jammeh.
